O'Brien excited about PSU QBs

STATE COLLEGE - Penn State coach Bill O'Brien said Monday that he's excited about the quarterback position for the 2013 season, despite the loss of record-setting Matt McGloin.

Steven Bench, a freshman who saw limited action last season, was the only quarterback on the roster until the Nittany Lions added Tyler Ferguson, Austin Whipple and D.J. Crook, who all began classes Monday.

Ferguson (6-4, 210), considered the second-best junior college quarterback in the country last season, transferred from the College of the Sequoias, where he passed for 2,615 yards and 22 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

"We're really excited about working with him," O'Brien said of Ferguson. "He was a guy that we felt was really smart and productive. We had some great conversations with him."

Whipple (6-2, 200) is the son of Mark Whipple, who worked most recently as the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach and who was the head coach at Brown when O'Brien was an assistant there in the 1990s.

Whipple played at Pine-Richland High in western Pennsylvania and last season played at Salisbury School in Connecticut. As a senior at Pine-Richland, he passed for 1,526 yards and 16 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

Crook (6-2, 205) had 77 career touchdown passes and a state-record 8,126 career passing yards at Barnstable High in Massachusetts before he suffered a fractured thumb midway through his senior season. He played last season at Worcester Academy.

"They're two athletic-looking guys that are ready to go to work," O'Brien said of Whipple and Crook, both walk-ons. "So we're excited there."

Of course, highly rated quarterback Christian Hackenberg is expected to sign a letter of intent with Penn State in February and enroll in June after completing course work at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia.

"We've got a great kid there who we think has fantastic potential," O'Brien said of Breneman. "Now he has to put his head down and go to work. We're really excited about his future here at Penn State."

•Barnes honored: Penn State defensive end Deion Barnes, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team Monday.

Barnes (6-4, 246) led the Nittany Lions with 10 tackles for loss and six sacks and also forced three fumbles.

Barnes is one of four players from the Big Ten named to the team, but the only one on defense.

•Carter recovering: Penn State tight end Kyle Carter is continuing his recovery from a broken wrist that he suffered against Nebraska in November, but he might not be ready for spring practice.

Carter caught 36 passes for 453 yards and two touchdowns and was named to the All-Big Ten first team by the conference media.

"Saw Kyle this morning," O'Brien said. "He was getting a new cast on his wrist, and he's really working at it. He's a fantastic kid, and he can't wait to get back at it.

"I think that decision (whether he'll be ready for spring practice) is a ways away from being made, but I think he's making a lot of progress."

•Belton update: It appears that running back Bill Belton is out of coach Bill O'Brien's doghouse.

Belton began last season as the No. 1 running back, suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him three games and played sparingly in November, carrying the ball just once.

He finished the season with 263 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

"You can tell that he went home over Christmas, and he really worked," O'Brien said. "That's a good sign. He's a great kid. I really have a unique relationship with Billy. I really have a lot of respect for Billy, and we're going to do a better job (with him), starting with me.

"He can do a lot of different things."

•Nittany lines: Both Penn State coach Bill O'Brien and acting athletic director Dave Joyner declined to comment on the lawsuit filed last week by Gov. Tom Corbett and the state of Pennsylvania against the NCAA. O'Brien said running back Curtis Dukes is no longer with the team. Dukes carried 26 times for 98 yards last season. "He won't be here," O'Brien said.